Spider-Man: No Way Home has been out for over a month now, but it continues to break records and please audiences around the world. More interviews and behind-the-scenes material from the movie have kept on rolling out as well, especially since the unofficial spoiler embargo was lifted and the cast and crew are free to talk about the many twists, turns, and surprises the film is filled with.
Even before the film came out, the No Way Home team was discussing material that had been cut from the final product, such as a scene featuring Spider-Man actor Tom Holland's brother, Harry. More content in this vein continues to be revealed about the film, including scenes that most likely never even made it to the shooting stage of production.
Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange plays a sizable role in the final cut of No Way Home, but according to some new concept art for the movie, at least one scene featuring the character was either cut or changed.
Spider-Man & a Sick Stephen Strange
Newly-released images from Sean Hargreaves via ArtStation show a sick Doctor Strange with Peter Parker standing at his bedside and the Cloak of Levitation sitting at the end of the bed.
One black-and-white image shows an alternate angle of Doctor Strange's bedroom, featuring a healthier-looking Strange standing at the side of his bed.
No Way Home Scene Cut or Changed?
These images don't provide much context for when this scene took place or whether it was ultimately replaced by another scene or simply cut from the movie. It was likely set in the New York Sanctum Sanctorum, meaning it could have been an alternate version of the scene when Peter first visits Strange to ask him for help.
How a sick Strange would have found the strength to cast the memory spell for Peter is unclear, but it's possible his illness could have been part of the reason it went wrong in an old draft of the film's script. Having the issues caused by Peter's insistence on allowing certain people to remember he is Spider-Man added more weight to the story, though, so if this was the case, it's easy to see why it was changed in the end.
It's also possible this scene took place at another point in the film, but it doesn't seem to have an obvious place in the story. Perhaps Peter was originally supposed to injure Strange in the Mirror Dimension scene rather than trap him there, and this moment in the concept art was him going back to ask for help later (though this wouldn't explain why he is wearing street clothes in these images rather than his Spider-Man suit).
Regardless, it's clear this moment - while interesting to see - didn't ultimately serve an important purpose in Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Doctor Strange's role in the movie not only served the film well but likely set him up for his next MCU outing in the upcoming Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness.
Spider-Man: No Way Home is now playing in cinemas worldwide.
